Frame of bicycles.



E. W. MORLEY. FRAME 0F BICYCLES. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31, 1914.

1,148,707, Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

WITNESSES INVENTOR E. W Morley.

U TED TATES ATENT @FFKQE.

FRAME 0F BIGYCLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 11915.

Application filed. October 31, 1914. Serial No. 869,617.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND WILLIAM MORLEY, asubject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 29Salisbury road, Southsea, in the county of Hants, England, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in the Frames of Bicycles, of which thefollowing is a full and complete specification.

This invention relates to the frames of bicycles of the so-called safetytype in which both the wheels are of approximately the same size and inwhich the rear wheel is the driving wheel, and it consists of animproved construction of that type of frame in which the rear drivingwheel is elastically mounted in relation to the main part of the framecarrying the steering wheel and the seat for the rider.

According to the present invention the driving wheel is carried in afork or frame which is pivoted at its forward end to the main frame andis constrained to move within a rearward extension of the said frameagainst the action of one or more springs operating to take and supportthe load, and on said rearward extension of the main frame is mounted aspring-controlled platform, for carrying luggage or a seat for a secondrider. By this construction the entire load carried by the bicycle iselastically supported.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this invention the figureis a view in side elevation of a frame for a motor-driven bicycleembodying this invention, such parts only being shown as are pertinentto the present invention.

The main frame of the machine is of the well-known tubular constructionand so far as relates to the central member v carrying the seat pillar wand to all in front of said member it presents no novel features. To therear however of the central member 4; the main frame consists of anupper fork a and a lower fork a which extend rearward and meet at aconvenient point to the rear of the driving road wheel 7 00 (shown indotted lines), at which point the side members of each forkwhich arepreferably made in one piece-are rigidly coupled together by a cross ortransverse member (1 On the central member 1) of the main frame at asuitable height is mounted a hearing for the shaft 8 carrying thetransmission wheel or sprocket t. At or about the center of this shaftis pivoted a fork 5 adapted to carry the driving road wheel 00. Each ofthe members of said fork carries a guide bar or sector 0 which isadapted to slide in suitable guides (Z carried by the members of theforks a and a and on said bars or sectors between the members of thefork b and those of the fork a springs e are mounted which are adaptedto take or support the load, and on said bars or sectors between themembers of the fork Z) and those of the fork a are mounted springs ewhich are adapted to damp or check the reaction of the springs e. Tostiffen the fork b the bars or sectors 0 are preferably coupled togetherabove the periphery of the driving wheel, which said extension canconveniently form a support for the mud guard y.

It will be appreciated that this construction of spring frame isparticularly adapted to motor bicycles intended to be used with sidecars, as it provides a rigid attachment for said cars to the rear of theaxis of the driving wheel of the bicycle without subjecting said cars tothe movement of said wheel, and it also tends to relieve the side strainthrown on the front steering wheel.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. A frame for rear driving safety bicycles, comprising a centralmember adapted to carry the seat pillar and a bearing for thetransmission wheel or sprocket, members extending forward from saidcentral member to carry the head or pivot for the frame carrying thefront steering wheel, rigid members extending rearward from the centralmember to a point beyond the periphery of the driving wheel, a memberrigidly coupling the ends of said rearwardly extending members togetherbeyond the periphery of the driving wheel, a fork for carrying the reardriving wheel pivoted to the central member and lying within therearwardly extending members of the main frame, means for guiding saidfork in relation to the rearwardly extending members of the main frame,and springs operating between the pivoted fork and said rear part ofmain frame.

2. In a frame for rear driving safety bicycles, the combination with thecentral member adapted to carry the seat pillar and a bearing for thetransmission wheel or sprocket, of members extending forward from saidcentral member to carry the head or pivot for the frame carrying thefront steering wheel, members extending rearward tending members beyondthe periphery of the driving wheel, a fork'for carrying the rear drivingwheel pivoted to the central member and lying within the rearwardly eXtending members of the main frame, sectors carried by said fork, guidesfor said sectors mounted .on the forked members of the rearwardextension of the main frame, springs encircling said sectors above themembers of the pivoted fork and adapted'to support "the'load on themachine, and springs encircling said sectors below the members of thepivoted fork and adapted to damp or check the reaction ofthe springsabove said fork,

asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscrlbin wltnesses.

EDMUND WILLIAM MORLEY.

Witnesses:.

HARVEY J. BAVERSTOET, CHARLES PAoK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Oommissioner of Batents,

Washington, D. C. r

